


Cold

by simpleapricot



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26172622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpleapricot/pseuds/simpleapricot
Summary: This is a look into Akko's thoughts during the events of Episodes 22 and 23, with a brief epilogue set after the end of the series.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 10
Kudos: 79





	Cold

_"Liar!"_

Akko ran. She ran across the roof. She ran down the stairs. She ran through the streets. She ran from that rooftop. She ran from Croix. She ran from Ursula, from _Chariot_.

Akko couldn't fly, so she ran.

* * *

What was the point?

Why was she even here?

Why did she try so hard? Why did she think she could do it? Why did she try again, and again, and again, and again, and again? Why try when it never worked? When it would never work? Why try? Why? Why?

It hurt; you know. It hurt when they laughed. It hurt when she practiced all night and still couldn’t do it right. She couldn’t do anything right. At least she knew why! Still, it hurt. So, she ran, and ran, and ran.

* * *

Yet even Akko couldn't run forever. Her legs gave out somewhere in the woods outside of town. She didn’t know where. It didn’t matter. It was so cold.

Slowly, very slowly, she rose to her feet and began trudging away from _there_. Her eyes were dry now, although they still ached.

It made sense now. She was an embarrassment. Akko had seen the way people looked at her. She saw the pained expressions when she talked about magic at home. At school, she saw the way people’s eyes pleaded for her to _just shut up._ Even Lotte and Sucy regarded her with that awful mix of pity and shame.

Couldn’t they see that she was trying?

 _But your magic doesn’t work_.

Couldn’t they see that she had done all she could?

_But your magic doesn’t work._

Couldn’t they see that she just wanted to make people smile?

_But your magic doesn’t work._

The phrase echoed in her head over and over. Each protest against her fate and each dream of hers met that simple, immovable obstacle. _Your magic doesn’t work_.

It started to snow. Akko didn’t care.

Slowly, an old friend made itself at home in her thoughts. Ah, she knew this one. It was envy.

Her friends could all do magic. Amanda had her broom. Constanze had her inventions. Jasminka had her cooking. Sucy had her potions. Lotte had her spirits. Diana? Well, Diana was amazing. Her magic was incredible. It surprised people. It made them stand in awe. It made them smile. It was, in a word, perfect.

It was everything Akko wanted.

She arrived in a clearing. In the center stood ruins. A once lively place, it was now reduced to sitting silently in the snow. Empty. Devoid of meaning.

There was a bench nearby. Without bothering to brush away the dusting of snow that coated it already, Akko lowered herself onto it.

It was cold here. Maybe she should go home.

It would be so easy. She could go to the station and board the next train out of here. She could be back in Japan in less than twenty-four hours. Her parents would greet her at the airport. They would be so happy to have her back. Akko would smile too.

Luna Nova would send her things back. She would sort through them. She would take her Shiny Chariot merchandise—all of it—and put it in a box. Her Chariot cards, her Alcor plushie, her posters, her limited-edition crystal ball, her broom, they would all go. She would be careful with them. Any damage would reduce their value. She would take it into the city, go to the merchandise store, and sell it all. At least then she would get something out of it.

Then magic would be gone from her life. She would just need to forget it. Put Luna Nova behind her. Other people were living her dream, and that was fine. She would reconnect with her old friends. She would go to a normal school, and she would live a normal life. She would just forget about Shiny Chariot. She would just forget about Lotte, and Sucy, and Amanda, and Constanze, and Jasminka, and Diana. She would just forget about Professor Ursula. Forget about how amazing it was when, after a long day of practice, her own spells _worked_. About how beautiful her magic had been. In some time, she was sure, she would wonder why she ever loved magic at all.

So why was she crying?

For reasons she still didn’t quite understand, Akko cried. And cried. And cried.

It was still cold. Her thoughts were slowing down now. That pain that had been so intense just some time ago was now a dull ache. But that was all there was. Everything she felt. There was that dull ache, and nothing.

It was so cold. So cold. The chill she had felt on that rooftop had settled into her bones. It was pinching her ears and biting her nose. 

If Akko focused on the cold, she didn’t need to think.

It made her numb. Her legs were numb. Her hands were numb. Her face was numb. Her thoughts were numb. The snow piled up slowly on her head.

She was so numb that she didn’t notice the crunching of snow next to her. Not until a familiar voice shouted,

“ _Akko!_ ”

* * *

The flakes falling lazily past Diana’s window glowed a faint gold, illuminated by the candlelight from inside. An unusually pensive Akko watched them fall one by one, her eyes tracking up and down, up and down.

“You know, Diana, a lot has changed since the last time it snowed. It’s been a whole year.” Although Akko couldn’t see it, she knew from the way her girlfriend put her teacup down just a little bit louder than normal that she had her attention.

“I never did thank you for bringing me back.” She snapped her head back and locked eyes with Diana.

“So, I’ll say it properly now. Thank you for saving me Diana. Without you I would have lost,” she made a sweeping gesture with her arms, “all of this.” Diana stood still for a moment, and then pulled Akko into a tight embrace.

It was so warm.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! Constructive criticism is always appreciated.


End file.
